Closing the `Vault' leaves channel with no Disney

September 05, 2002|By Richard Verrier. Special to the Tribune. Richard Verrier is a staff reporter for the Los Angeles Times, a Tribune newspaper.

For Disney Channel executives, the decision seemed a no-brainer: replace vintage Disney television shows that run in the dead of night with newer, hipper fare targeted to a younger, more lucrative audience.

But the seemingly mundane programming change to replace the so-called "Vault Disney" classics with teen and preteen comedies such as "Lizzie McGuire" and "Kim Possible" has created an uproar among older die-hard Disney fans, who see the move as the latest affront to the company's heritage. Internet chat rooms devoted to Disney fans are all abuzz with the pending demise of "Vault Disney." Some viewers are penning protest letters to management relating their connection to childhood heroes such as "Zorro." One fan has started a petition in hopes of reversing the decision.

"I'm dumbfounded," said schoolteacher Sue Schuck, 54, of Glendale, Calif., who vowed to sell her Disney stock in protest. "We Baby Boomers pay for the cable, the admission to Disneyland and the Disney products. We watched these shows. They are part of our childhood."

The decision is simply economics, Disney said. Older shows such as "Spin and Marty" and "Davy Crockett" just don't resonate with the younger audiences that have spurred the Disney Channel's growth over the last decade, as it moved from a mostly premium, subscriber-fee cable service to a much more widely distributed cable network.

The dispute underscores the dilemma the entertainment giant faces as it tries to shore up its sagging bottom line: How to keep its brand relevant to younger kids without offending the Baby Boomers who cling to a very different, often nostalgic vision of the Disney of their childhood?

Fans protesting

Such tensions have flared up across Disney's businesses in recent years. Fans, for example, loudly protested a few years ago when the company shut down Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, one of the original Walt Disney World attractions.

"They are trying to walk this tightrope of keeping their classic Disney going and appealing to a younger market and staying contemporary," said Janet Wasko, a professor of communications studies at the University of Oregon and author of two books on Disney. "That's a difficult task for them because there is such emotional attachment to Disney products and characters. People just don't react the same when other companies change their product lines, but Disney is different."

Keeping current has been a major goal of the Disney Channel, which in six years has grown from 14 million to more than 80 million households. In contrast to the struggling ABC network, the channel has been an important moneymaker and marketing outlet for the parent company, generating an estimated $250 million in operating income this year, according to some estimates.

Its success stems mainly from a combination of live-action movies and original series, such as "Lizzie McGuire" and "Even Stevens," that target teens and preteens, a demographic coveted by advertisers and retailers. The channel's latest creation, the animated drama "Kim Possible," tied with market leader Nickelodeon among 6- to 11-year-olds after making its debut in June, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Classic no longer

The channel launched "Vault Disney" four years ago as an umbrella for Disney classic television shows from the 1950s and '60s. To make room for the newer entertainment, "Vault Disney" programs were pushed further into the evening and early morning hours. Ratings dwindled, and Disney focused its energies on developing programs.

By Monday, the four-hour block will be replaced with reruns of the channel's prime-time shows. Until then, Disney is running "Davy Crockett" and "Zorro" marathons so fans can watch the final episodes.

Disney Channel executives say they are canceling "Vault Disney" to create consistent programming on a 24-hour basis for kids, whether they're in the Hawaiian or Eastern time zone.

"The Disney Channel is a service for kids and their families, it's not a general entertainment service for everybody," said Richard Ross, president of entertainment for the Disney Channel. "We can't be all things for all people."

Ross says the channel is not turning its back on its heritage. "This is not a slam on the Vault programming," he said.

Ross notes that the channel will debut a series Monday called "Mickey's House of Mouse" with 65 episodes. Some "Vault Disney" titles are still available on video and DVD, with several more to be released next year, he added.

Disney is under pressure from rivals such as Viacom Inc.'s Nickelodeon and AOL Time Warner Inc.'s Cartoon Network to ensure that its programs stay current Even so, fans complain that removing such beloved classics is shortsighted.

"I understand the need to keep their product current, but by doing this they effectively have a Disney Channel without any Disney on it," said Bill Cotter, author of a book on Disney television and a consultant on the "Vault Disney" concept.